JASNA NorCal

The world of Jane Austen soundtracks
2020-11-21 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Online: Zoom
A talk on the variety of ways composers portray the world, plot, and characters in Jane Austen adaptations from classical music, to imitation and inspiration from the Regency era, to folk music, and even electric guitars. We will look at both movies and mini-series, choices of instrumentation as well as different story techniques within music.Ruth Mudge is a cellist, music teacher, and Jane Austen enthusiast. Ruth owns almost every Jane Austen soundtrack available and enjoys analyzing movie soundtracks.This class will be on Zoom and the link will be made available closer to the event. DM Ruth on Facebook for any questions or the link to the class.

Jane Austen: Working Woman
2020-11-21 13:00 (America/New_York) | Online: Zoom
Speaker: Liz Philosophos Cooper, the president of the JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America).

Topic: Jane Austen: Working Woman

“I must keep to my own style & go on in my own Way.” Jane Austen was a working woman and determined professional writer. This illustrated talk will explore Austen’s involvement in the business of publishing novels during a time of rampant financial instability. The Austen family were active participants in both war and finance and these two sectors intertwined in the story of Jane Austen’s writing and publishing.

Arthur Miller remixes Jane Austen classic for radio
2020-11-19 16:30 - 17:30 (America/Denver) | Online: Facebook Event
In 1945, American playwright Arthur Miller adapted British novelist Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice for the radio. The quirky adaptation aired just before Thanksgiving Day 75 years ago, a few years before Miller became a household name as author of plays like All My Sons and Death of a Salesman. Tune in as Jane Austen scholar and UT professor Janine Barchas talks about the original script with Eric Colleary, the Ransom Center’s curator of theatre and performing arts. Did this unlikely remix for the airwaves lead to success? Decide for yourself and listen to the play before “dialing” into the discussion and live Q&A.

The program will stream live on Facebook and YouTube.

Jane Austen Trivia Bingo: Early Works
2020-11-18 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
Are you a Jane Austen fan? Do you enjoy reading her books, watching film adaptations, and discovering contemporary fiction that is inspired by her life and works? Then join staff of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on Wednesday, November 18, at 7:30 PM for Jane Austen Bingo Trivia! We will have a lively discussion of Austen’s early works: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park. Trivia questions will explore various aspects of her life, her books, and their adaptations. Bingo cards will provide clues to the trivia answers and help keep our conversation flowing.

Upstairs, Downstairs: A Conversation with Jo Baker
2020-11-18 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online: Zoom
Jane Austen & Co. will be chatting with Jo Baker, author of Longbourn, about her books, Jane Austen, and domestic service in Regency England. This event will include a public Q&A and a reading from Jo’s novel, Longbourn.

The Tea Things of Jane Austen
2020-11-17 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
An interactive discussion with Bruce Richardson, the owner of Kentucky’s Elmwood Inn Fine Teas and the author of 14 books on tea, including A Social History of Tea and Tea & Etiquette. Throughout her novels, Jane Austen was fond of using the term “tea things” as she set the scene in a fine Sussex parlor or the formal Assembly Rooms of Bath. TeaTime contributing editor Bruce Richardson delights his global audiences by sharing what those tea things were and how manners played a significant role in Georgian society.

There's No Place Like Home
2020-11-15 14:00 (America/New_York)
Following her very successful breakout session at this year’s AGM, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Susan Jones of Palm Beach Atlantic University. In her juvenilia, Austen developed a pattern of examining and mocking the home and its inhabitants, holding their erratic actions up to an ironic and comedic scrutiny. This early comedic writing created a path to her mature vision, when she established her settled moral foundations.

Teatime with Dr. Lyndon Dominique
2020-11-14 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online: Zoom
During this online event, Dr. Dominique will present a new talk entitled “They Came Before Olivia: Black Ladies and Political Blackness in Eighteenth Century British Literature.” Afterwards, we will have an interactive Q&A session with Dr. Dominique, which will conclude with one lucky attendee winning a signed copy of his latest book, The Woman of Colour.

Lady Susan or The Captive Heart, A Jane Austen Bodice Ripper
2020-11-14 14:00 (America/New_York) | Online: Zoom
Manipulative, callous and cruel – the beautiful widow Lady Susan Vernon is on a manhunt. To restore her broken fortunes, the greatest coquette in England sets out to snare a rich husband. She will stop at nothing to achieve this goal, including forcing her own daughter Frederica into an unwanted marriage. Will Lady Susan’s weakness for pleasure derail her own notorious intrigues? Literature’s greatest villainess is about to take center stage. This humorous adaptation by Lynn Marie Macy illuminates Austen’s earliest novella while paying homage to Georgian theatrical traditions.

Romance on the Abbey Road
2020-11-14 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Online: Zoom
Northanger Abbey was famously first entitled Susan, but did you know that it was labeled as a romance? Or that it and Persuasion were mistaken for one long work? Popular speaker Devoney Looser will help you discover more about Austen’s genius with this illustrated presentation–including “nice” discussion of women, history, romance, and reading. A live Q&A session will follow the recorded presentation.This event is sponsored by the JASNA New Jersey region and open to JASNA members from all Regions. To request Zoom information, please send an email to jasnanewjersey@gmail.com.

"Pride and Prejudice" and Letters
2020-11-14 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Online: Zoom
Barbara Haller will present her recently published book, Pride and Prejudice: The Complete Novel With Nineteen Letters From the Characters’ Correspondence Written and Folded by Hand.

Barbara is a set decorator for film and television and a writer and director of short films. Please note: the time of the presentation is Central Time.

The virtual meeting is open to all. For more information, or to request the Zoom links, please email the RC.

Exploring Regency-Era Fashions for Women and Men by a Prejudiced and Amateur Seamstress
2020-11-14 11:00 - 12:15 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online: Zoom
Join JASNA SW for an illustrated talk and Q&A with Jane Boltz, JASNA Southwest board member and amateur seamstress, who has created many Regency-era fashions for both women and men.

Sculpture on a Flat Surface: History and Demonstration of Inlay in Federal America
2020-11-14 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
In 1795, Thomas Barrett agreed to teach his young apprentice, John Lenox, the arts and mysteries of inlay. Barrett, thoroughly gifted in his trade, executed inlay and marquetry for all of Baltimores leading cabinetmakers. Steven Lattas presentation will explain these arts and mysteries, will show examples of his contemporary methods, and will illustrate how these centuries old techniques are replicated in contemporary Federal style pieces.

The sweeping changes in American Federal period cabinetmaking and furniture styles closely paralleled the emergence of the new nation, leading to an age of the specialist and commerce with gilders, upholsterers, carvers, wood-turners settling into their individual niches. Of all these skills, few generate such awe and bewilderment as inlay, particularly that of the Federal period. Inlay and adherence to the antique, became the model of perfection in furniture and the rage of the new nation, defining the grace and style of these pieces. Its complexities can mystify a modern aesthetic used to machine-made disposable furniture. Professor Lattas presentation will help us understand the use of inlay to create this mode of Federal era furniture, demystify its practice, as well as offer insights into the rich and diverse history of inlay in early America.

Teaching Jane Austen
2020-11-10 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Online: Zoom
Professor Tim Spurgeon from Lawrence University will share his experiences on “Teaching Jane Austen.” From Professor Spurgeon: From Professor Spurgin: “What’s it like to read Jane Austen — all of Jane Austen — for the first time? What stands out? Which books and characters emerge as favorites? What seems to be the larger shape and direction of Austen’s career? My talk will address these questions, drawing on my recent experience teaching a course devoted exclusively to Austen’s works. I’ll share responses from students, and also pass along some personal reflections. Having known and loved the books for so long, I found it fascinating to see how Austen looked — and what she meant — to first-time readers. I hope you will, too.”

Register here.

Tea Time: "Emma" (2020) vs "Clueless"
2020-11-07 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online: Zoom
JASNA members: check email for an invitation to this casual get-together.

Virual Jane Austen Mini-Fest
2020-11-07 12:00 - 18:00 (America/Phoenix) | Online: Zoom
The Glendale (AZ) Public Library is proud to present a virtual lineup of over 25 Jane Austen experts and enthusiasts from around the world, from critically acclaimed authors to a Tony-award-nominated composer. Come laugh and learn with us! (Register for each program separately.)

Austen Con
2020-11-07 08:00 - 17:00 (Australia/Melbourne)
24 Carrot Productions, a theatre company based in Melbourne, Australia, is planning a whole day of Jane Austen and Regency-era related events and activities, to celebrate lots of different aspects of Jane Austen’s work and our appreciation of it. This year, the event will be run entirely online. Check the web site for a description of each program session.

Great Books Forum: Pride and Prejudice
2020-11-05 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Online: Zoom
Topie: Pride and Prejudice, led by Professor Jina Lee

The Great Books Forum offers an opportunity to encounter classic and modern literature in company with interested readers from the college and the community. Along with the works themselves, discussions focus on issues of context and interpretation. The theme for Fall 2020 is The Novels of Jane Austen. Email james.werner@sunywcc.edu for access information.

History Happy Hour: Life, Death, and Locks of Hair
2020-11-05 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
During the nineteenth century, people across the United States collected, exchanged, and displayed locks of hair. Jewelry made from human hair is the most familiar form of hair collecting, in part because many of these pieces have been preserved in archives and historic homes like the Camron-Stanford House. Yet nineteenth-century Americans kept locks of hair in a wide variety of ways. Severed braids, curls, and strands were tucked in letters and sent through the mail, saved in specialized albums, and thrust into the hands of loved ones just before death. Although this practice is often associated with white, middle-class men and women, the emotional meanings carried by locks of hair were broadly shared by Americans from different regions, class backgrounds, racial groups, and religious traditions.

Gardening with Jane Austen
2020-11-05 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
Kim Wilson (author of In the Garden with Jane Austen) will speak about gardens and growing in the Regency period.

Tales of Terror! Gothic Tales by the Virtual Fireside
2020-10-31 19:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | Online
The final night is a dramatic reading of Mary Shelley’s little-known novella Mathilda. Although written between August 1819 and February 1820, the subject matter was so controversial that it was not published until 1959. It tells the story of Mathilda, a young woman desperately in love with a gifted young poet, Woodville, from whom she hides the shameful secret of her father’s incestuous love.

Elections in Jane Austen's Time
2020-10-31 13:00 (America/New_York)
Talk by James F. Nagle, JASNA Puget Sound region. As we approach our 2020 national election, we should consider what elections were like in Jane Austen’s time: who could vote, who they could vote for, how campaigns were conducted, how the voting actually happened, what the major parties, issues, and personalities were that Jane would have been aware of. If you think our electoral process is confusing and complicated, just see what it was like in Regency England! Email JasnaSWF@gmail.com for an invitation.

Tales of Terror! Gothic Stories by the Virtual Fireside
2020-10-30 19:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London)
Night two is dedicated to Anne Radcliffe, the most significant Gothic writer of the eighteenth century. Far from being a horror writer, Radcliffe wished to terrify her readers and make them feel alive through her words. Her most famous work, The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) takes place in the sixteenth century in Southern France and tells the tale of orphaned Emily St Aubert, imprisoned in a castle by her villainous uncle Montoni.

Tales of Terror! Gothic Stories by the Virtual Fireside
2020-10-29 19:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London)
We begin our Gothic retellings with Hannah More’s poem Bishop Bonner’s Ghost whose ghoulish apparition passes judgment beyond the grave. The night continues with The Midnight Bell, described as one of Jane Austen’s ‘horrid novels’ in Northanger Abbey. Each night a mysterious bell rings in the St Francis Abbey, where a terrible murder took place years before…

Frankenstein: A Life Zoom Performance
2020-10-27 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Online: Zoom
Right in time for Halloween, join Kentucky Shakespeare as they bring Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to life in a live Zoom reading of this classic tale. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley wrote and published Frankenstein during the Croghan’s occupancy of Locust Grove, making this a perfect melding of worlds to mark the season.

Pride & Pre-Existing Conditions: The Lamplighters Annual Champagne Gala
2020-10-25 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This year, Lamplighters brings our original musical directly to you! What happens when the Lamplighters’ Gala Committee takes a little bit of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, a bit more of The Good Place, adds the machinations of Pride and Prejudice, then inserts Gilbert’s characters singing new lyrics to Sullivan’s music?

Tea Time: "Northanger Abbey" Adaptations
2020-10-24 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online: Zoom

Mary Bennet's Surprising New Friend
2020-10-24 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online: Zoom
Just in time for the spooky season, share in a book discussion of Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel. RC Jeanne Talbot of the JASNA San Diego region will lead the discussion about this book, which blends aspects of Pride and Prejudice with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Twelve years after the end of Austen’s tale, Mary Bennet meets Victor Frankenstein and finds him strangely compelling. Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club, calls it “dark and gripping.” You have been warned!This free event is for members only. To register, please email your full name, email address, and Region to ashorago@gmail.com. Please note: the time listed is Pacific Time.

Reading with Jane Austen
2020-10-20 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
Susan Allen Ford (Delta State University) will talk to us about the books that Jane read and loved, as well as reading practices in the Regency period. A Q&A will follow.

Is Piano Your Forte?
2020-10-18 14:00 (America/New_York)
Why did Austen make music, especially when played upon the pianoforte, a star in so many scenes? Think of Jane Fairfax receiving an expensive instrument from a secret admirer, or Mary Bennet trying to gain some importance by applying herself more assiduously than her prettier sisters. Join discussion leaders Elizabeth Paquette and Patti Woodall to explore this fascinating topic. Austen never wasted a word–those keyboards are in there for a reason! For information and to request the event code and password, please contact etpaquette@att.net.
